Sunday, 13 March 2016

Degustabox: February 2016 (My First One!)

If you're on the internet (which I'm guessing you are if you're reading this...) then no doubt you will have seen all of the subscription boxes out there...I've tried a few, I've stuck with a couple and for some bizarre reason I've never tried Degustabox. I mean, why wouldn't I have signed up to get edible goodies delivered right to my doorstep?! I know. Shame on me.

Well anyway, I saw a pretty great discount code so I'd get two whole boxes so signed up immediately!

Degustabox is one of the more pricey subscription boxes that I've tried (£12.99 a month without any discount code) and one of the things I wanted to see what whether the things you receive are actually worth the monthly subscription so for my first box ever I'm not only trying out and reviewing all of the items but checking to see how much it all would have cost if I bought it at my local supermarket.

So here it is - my inaugural Degustabox and the goodies inside!

Hartley's Fruit in Jelly and Hartley's 10 cal Jelly Pot

"Introducing new Hartley’s Fruit in Jelly pots, tasty jelly pots bursting with fruit pieces in a range of scrumptious flavours."

"Hartley’s 10 Cal jelly pots are delicious and at less than 10 calories per pot fit into even the most restrictive diet, perfect for your New Year’s resolution!"

Jelly always takes me back to parties when I was about 8 and usually came with ice cream but these days you can just buy handy little pots in more grown up flavours. These are great for taking to work, popping in a lunch box or packing in a picnic. Overall great flavours and would definitely buy these again!

Total cost: £2.38

Sarson's Malt Vinegar

"Sarson’s, the UK’s number one vinegar brand, is set to launch a new limited edition Malt Vinegar bottle featuring its well loved ‘Fish and Chip’ characters created by artist Paul Thereby."

I was slightly surprised to receive a bottle of vinegar in the box - I would understand if it was a new flavour from Sarson's or a fancy type of vinegar but it's just malt vinegar...I do like the design on the label though!

I sometimes like to take a little treat into work with me to enjoy after lunch and these individually packaged slices seemed like they would fit the bill! The overall flavour was fine but the texture was sadly a little dry for me and wasn't helped by the oats perched on top.

This is currently sitting on my desk at work for when all of the water and all of the other drinks in the building have run out. I can't bring myself to try it yet - apple and mint? Hmmm...

Total cost (only sold online as 6-packs so calculated price per bottle): £1.91

Divine Caramel Bar and Dark Chocolate Caramel Bar

"Do you have a soft spot for caramel? Mid-afternoon is just the time for a sweet treat, which is why Divine Caramel bars hit the 3 ‘o clock #DivineSoftSpot! All Divine products are Fairtrade, natural, suitable for vegetarians and free from palm oil. Divine Caramel Bars are available to buy at Tesco, Oxfam, Traidcraft & divinechocolate.com."

I don't know what I was expecting because these were clearly marked as caramel but I was ever so slightly surprised when I bit into one and discovered that it was filled with soft caramel. The chocolate was rich and creamy, the caramel just the right consistency so it didn't slop all over the place when you took a bit but it was really sweet. I've never tried Divine chocolate before but would definitely buy some again but probably without the caramel filling.

Total cost: £1.60

Beloved Dates Beloved Bars

"Our Beloved Bars are 100% natural, no added sugar, and the only cereal bar bound with natural date nectar! They’re made from the finest ingredients, all tumbled gently and cold pressed together to fuse the flavours and lock in the goodness. There are simply no other cereal bars like them."

Another treat I took to work! I've had seed bars before but liked the idea that rather than being held together by butter or golden syrup, these are bound by date nectar. The texture was perfect - a little chewy and packed with all sorts of slightly crunchy seeds.

Total cost: (only sold as packs of 4 so have calculated price per bar): £1.00

James White Drinks Carrot Juice

"For more than 25 years, we've been tasting, testing and experimenting to bring you our most delicious range of juices yet... Discover how fresh, lively and sweet our British carrot juice tastes! We think that a delicious glass of carrot juice could deservedly become a popular way to consume one of your 5-a-day portions of fruit and vegetables."

See comments about the palm juice...

Total cost: £2.88

Nutribix Wholegrain Cereal

"Nutribix is a wholegrain cereal. With Gold and Grains we’ve lovingly created what we believe is the crunchiest, tastiest and most delicious breakfast around. Using coconut, honey and the ancient grain Sorghum this makes the perfect choice for anyone who really wants to get going in the morning."

These were a real surprise for me! First I thought they were cereal bars but once I opened the box I realised they were just like Weetabix. Once I tried them, I realised they were like massively better than Weetabix. Where Weetabix are just plain blocks of cereal, Nutribix have a variety of textures like crunchy puffed rice, different grains and coconut. I really, really like these and although the price is a little more than I would normally pay for cereal, I'd say they were worth every penny!

Total cost: £3.00

VitHit Juice

"Vit Hit - The Juice based soft drink with 100% Recommended Daily Allowance of 8 different vitamins, no added sugar and with fewer than 35 calories per bottle. With health giving teas and minerals for overall wellbeing Vit Hit contains real juice and no preservatives, artificial colourings or flavourings."

I've never really had any vitamin drinks but do love a good iced tea so when I saw that this contained rooibos tea I thought it would be more tea-like. Nope. The flavour wasn't bad at all but it tasted very "vitamin-y" if that makes sense...it had the same sort of feel about it as those fizzy vitamin tablets you dissolve in water. It wasn't awful but I'll stick to my usual iced teas.

Total cost: £1.45

London Crisp Company "South Bank Inspired" Salt & Vinegar Crisps

"Hand-cooked in the heart of the capital, our great tasting crisps combine classic crunch with no-nonsense flavours. Each of our 5 delicious flavours takes inspiration from a different area of the fantastic capital city of London and they can be found in Fuller's pubs across London, as well as in Waitress, Tesco and Selfridges."

Oh my word, these are good crisps! I had been craving some salt and vinegar crisps all day so got stuck into these before I'd even unpacked the rest of the box. Perfect crunch to them, lovely golden colour and one of the best salt and vinegar flavours I've ever had in a crisp. I couldn't find these available to buy online from any supermarkets but apparently you can buy them at Fuller's pubs and there happens to be one of those just around the corner from home...

Total cost: no idea! I cannot find anywhere to buy these online!

Ritz Crisp & Thin - Sea Salt & Black Pepper (or were they...)

"Ritz Crisp & Thin are a delicious new oven-baked potato snack that brings a touch of glamour to any situation, so whether you’re snacking solo or amongst friends you can always Put on the Ritz!"

I like the idea of these as an alternative to real potato crisps and the texture is lovely but my taste buds were slightly shocked when I tried these and they were not the sea salt and black pepper flavour as advertised on the pack but were some sort of cheese and onion flavour. I wasn't too keen on that but would definitely look out for the (real) salt and pepper ones in the supermarket.

Total cost: £2.19

Cold Press Golden Delicious Apple Juice

"Coldpress Golden Delicious is cold pressed (not heat pasteurised) so it tastes fresher and retains more nutrients than conventional pasteurised apple juice. So you get more nutrients including Vitamin C and other antioxidants with each sip of Coldpress.

Cold press Golden Delicious is brimming with balmy, aromatic charm and a light yet enthralling sweetness just like the apple it was pressed from."

The only apple juice I tend to drink is cider as I find non-alcoholic apple juice out of a carton quite an overwhelming flavour. This Coldpress juice was completely different though - a very delicate apple flavour, a little tart and very refreshing. I'm not sure I could get through the larger sized bottles that are available but will be looking out for the smaller ones as apparently there are different flavours and I'd like to try those too!

Total cost: £1.35

Conscious Organic Chocolate Bar - Plain Jane

Conscious Chocolates - raw, organic, vegan, hand –made, truffle-like chocolate bars. We are showcasing three of our favourite bars. 1). Plain Jane is our smooth, award-winning bar that we base the range on. 2). Intense is a dark-chocolate lovers delight; a sophisticated bar balanced with vanilla 3). Chill Hot bar is an immune system booster with all chocolate taste first and a warming child tingle to finish!

How can chocolate be so wrong?! The texture was odd, the flavour lingered for much longer than it should have and I didn't go back for a second taste.

Total cost: £2.50

Fentimans Rose Lemonade

"Fentimans botanically brewed Rose Lemonade is made with the juice of real lemons and pure Rose Otto oil from the world famous Rose Valley in Bulgaria. All natural, gluten Free, vegan friendly and delicious. Ideal on its own, or as a mixer for gin and vodka."

I have had this once before so was really pleased to see it arrive in the February Degustabox. It's not too lemon-y and the rose flavour isn't overpowering or soapy like some rose flavours can be. there's a gentle fizz to it and can see it being packed for a picnic or being sipped in a comfy chair in the garden in summer.

Total cost: £1.20

Overall cost of what came in this box: £25.85

So was it worth it? Mostly...there were some things that I would never ever buy...

Conscious raw chocolate bar

both the palm and carrot juice

...but there were things that I'd definitely look out for on my local supermarket shelves...

rose lemonade

London Crips Company crisps

Nutribix cereal

I will definitely stay signed up for the next couple of boxes because it seems to be a great way to try new things you might not normally try but if there are too many of the goodies that aren't for me I might have to consider the price of the box versus what I actually enjoy.

Do you like the sound of getting a large box of goodies delivered right to your door? If you're like me and aren't one of the many who are already signed up, click here to get £6 off your first box!

*Besides the awesome discount I got using a promo code I received nothing for this review and paid for the box out of my own pocket

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